Deborah Chow Makes Star Wars History: The Obi-Wan Director Interviews

With the end of the Skywalker saga in cinemas, a new Star Wars era began on Disney+. The Mandalorian was the first real-life series to explore the galaxy far, far away, making one a reality long cherished dream, which not even George Lucas could implement. Baby Yoda delighted fans with his googly eyes. The biggest discovery behind the camera for Lucasfilm was Deborah Chow, who directed the third and seventh chapters.

The veteran director, who has worked in the past on acclaimed series such as Marvel’s Jessica Jones, Better Call Saul and American Gods, was introduced to the Star Wars universe through The Mandalorian and left a lasting impression on Lucasfilm. Three years later, she introduces her own Star Wars series: Chow directed all six episodes of Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Deborah Chow interviewed about the Obi-Wan Kenobi series

It’s the first time in Lucasfilm history that a director handles a major Star Wars project on her own, in fact the biggest since the release of Star Wars 9: The Rise of Skywalker. Obi-Wan Kenobi has been in development for over five years, with a feature film originally planned. However, with the success of The Mandalorian and the rise of Disney+, that has all changed.

You can watch the trailer for Obi-Wan Kenobi here:

Obi-Wan Kenobi takes full advantage of the Love for the prequel trilogy, which has become louder and louder in recent years. Ewan McGregor returns as Obi-Wan Kenobi and Hayden Christensen as Darth Vader. In the interview, we spoke to Chow about this special Star Wars event.

Moviepilot: You’ve already gained a lot of experience in series production. Now you’re the first director to tackle a major Star Wars project. How does that feel?

Deborah Chow: It’s a very exciting experience and a great honor. To be honest, I didn’t really realize that when I first got into The Mandalorian. But now I’ve enjoyed it very much [Obi-Wan Kenobi] to turn. It’s really special and I did my best. At the same time, I tried not to think about it too much to do the job right.

What was the biggest challenge for you?

The biggest challenge with this project was the legacy that comes with it. the [Star Wars-]Fans are incredibly passionate. They put an incredible amount of thought into the characters and the story. So it was our job to meet all those expectations. I’ve never worked on anything where really every little detail is so important.

Obi-Wan has had many appearances in the past, from the original trilogy to the prequels to animated series like The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels. What was the one new thing you were dying to tell about the character?

When we started developing the story, it quickly became clear that Obi-Wan is an iconic character that is loved by so many people. At the same time, we realized that not that much is known about him. The series was the perfect opportunity for us to get inside his head to find out who this man actually is.

We wanted to tell a story that put character development first. We wanted to know how he feels about all the things that have happened. How does he feel after Order 66? Since a lot of the films are ensemble based, it was really nice to be able to focus on just one character and really explore that character in depth.

What did you discover about Obi-Wan that surprised you the most?

ewan [McGregor] created a wonderful character in the prequels and has now brought him back. One of the coolest things about Obi-Wan Kenobi was seeing how not only is he returning as an actor at this point in his life, but his character is at a different point in the timeline.

Both with Obi-Wan and with [Darth] We tell Vader a story in which the characters aren’t who they were in the prequels, but are also a far cry from the versions we see in A New Hope. You are in the middle of your life. That was the most exciting thing for me – getting to know the characters that we know so well in a time that has changed.

Looking back, which scene are you most proud of?

[Lacht] It’s very difficult to talk about it without giving everything away.

Can you perhaps rewrite the scene a bit?

There are some scenes I fell in love with while filming. Most of the time, though, it wasn’t the action and spectacle scenes. Instead, I liked the quiet and emotional moments. That’s one of the great things about making a miniseries: you can really deepen the moments that aren’t necessarily related to the plot or the action.

Obi-Wan Kenobi has come a long way as a Lucasfilm project. First there were plans for a movie with Stephen Daldry as director and Hossein Amini as screenwriter. Then the series was announced – with you to direct and Joby Harold to write. How has the project changed over time?

There was a film version that was being worked on, but I wasn’t involved with it. When I joined the project, it was already clear that it was going to be a miniseries. One of the reasons why the development [von Obi-Wan Kenobi] so long was the story. It’s really hard to tell the right story – there was a lot of responsibility on our shoulders. All the people who worked on the project over time found themselves at the same point.

George [Lucas] created these characters and gave them a past. We know what they’ve done and we know what their future holds. So we all started at the end of Revenge of the Sith and came out at the beginning of A New Hope. The tricky thing was the finishing touches in between and what really is the best version of this story. It really took a lot of time to figure that out.

Through all of this, how have you been able to keep your voice as a filmmaker?

That was one of the biggest challenges, especially in terms of the [Star Wars-]Canon. We are between two trilogies and responsible for the characters. At the same time, I’m not George. I can’t do exactly what he did. I wanted to tell my own story. So it was about finding the balance between my vision and the canon. The biggest advantage we had in making it was the format: we were able to explore Ewan’s character to a degree that we never would have had the time to do in the films.

Did you meet with George Lucas to talk about the show?

I met with him, but he wasn’t involved in the creative processes of the project. But yes, we sat down and exchanged ideas.

Obi-Wan Kenobi is six episodes long. Still, is there anything you couldn’t do that you would like to do in Season 2?

We designed Obi-Wan Kenobi as one big story – with a clear beginning, middle and end. But there is more. As we were writing the series, there were so many possibilities that we could have explored. I’m sure there’s always more to tell. Obi-Wan is a great character and Ewan is just so good in the role. I would watch anything he does in the future in the Star Wars universe. He could also just ride his Eopie through the sand and it would be awesome.

Obi-Wan Kenobi starts on May 27, 2022 on Disney+.

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